NPL's commercial services are built on 100 years of leadership in accuracy, innovation and scientific research. Experienced consultants and project managers draw upon a unique combination of industry know-how and world-leading scientific discovery to deliver real-world business solutions and enable innovation and secure competitive advantage.

We strive to actively promote public awareness and appreciation of science and technology, particularly the importance of measurement and the role of NPL. Here you can find out more about the interesting things we do, science outreach activities you can get involved in or take a look at some of our educational resources.

Carbon data Challenge Prize

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills and Nesta have launched the UK's first 'Centre for Challenge Prizes' - a hub for bringing together expertise in designing and running challenge prizes to tackle social and technological challenges in the public interest.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto

NPL and the Centre for Carbon Measurement are proud to be supporting one of the first two prizes. This prize will look at the global challenge of achieving long-term environmental sustainability and will encourage the development of new inventions. The prize fund will be launched in summer 2012 for the best products and technologies that collect, capture and make accessible user-friendly data to help people and businesses understand and manage their greenhouse gas emissions or energy use.

Challenge prizes, also called 'inducement' prizes, offer a reward to whoever can first, or most effectively, meet a defined challenge. They act as an incentive for meeting a specific challenge, rather than an award for past achievements. Nesta's Centre for Challenge Prizes is being launched to bring together the growing expertise and interest in challenge prizes and to help build understanding of how they can play an effective and strategic role in the stimulation and support of innovation.